Bangladesh on Thursday voted in favour of the UN General Assembly’s new non-binding resolution that demanded an "immediate" stop to Russia's war in Ukraine on humanitarian grounds, says Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

“Bangladesh is well known all over the world as a humanitarian country,” the minister told reporters on Friday. “We are always for peace and against war.” The resolution adopted on Thursday, which was drafted by Ukraine and its allies, received 140 votes in favour and five votes against – Russia, Syria, North Korean, Eritrea and Belarus – while 38 countries, including China, abstained.

Dhaka abstained from voting on the March 2 resolution adopted by the UNGA to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. “We know from experience that it is the ordinary people who suffer the most in any war,” he said, alluding to the Liberation War. Thursday’s UN resolution called for the provision of all kinds of facilities to those who have been tortured and injured, Momen said, adding: “We voted in favour as we want those who have been abused to enjoy all kinds of assistance.”

On the previous resolution, he said: “The March 2 resolution was one-sided with only Russia being blamed. “But wars are not started by only one side… we thought it (the previous resolution) was partisan and would not be able to put an end to the war.” Both parties must be sincere to stop the war, Momen remarked.

Bangladesh does not want there to be a war and does not want to be part of any war either, he said. Today, wars are fought not only on the battlefield but also economically, Momen said. “We are considering several options, let us see what happens.”

He also said the war is between Russia and Ukraine, but it is affecting all the countries of the world. “The prices of goods, including oil, will go up. The war is being fought far away from Bangladesh, but it will still have a big impact on our development and economic activities as we are a member of an interdependent system,” he added.